1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a method and a computer program product for capable of detecting a copy-prohibited manuscript and warning about an unauthorized copy.
2. Discussion of the Background
A conventional image forming apparatus has a number of peripheral devices such as an image input device (e.g., a scanner), an image output device (e.g., a printer), and an image storage device. This conventional image forming apparatus is capable of performing several kinds of image data conversion, depending upon user instructions.
Various kinds of standards associated with information security have been studied and established. Image data may often be an item to be protected under such an information security rules. Accordingly, certain measures have been taken against unauthorized access to and copying of image data from, for example, a local storage device which may be installed in a host apparatus such as the background image forming apparatus. Offices may contain a considerable number of confidential documents and may be provided with high security devices for strictly handling confidential documents.
As one example of the above-mentioned high security apparatuses, a secure color image forming apparatus has been recently introduced. This apparatus can handle a special document such as a bill, a stock certificate, and so forth, strictly prohibiting a reproduction of it. At a user attempt to reproduce such document, the apparatus provides a warning to the user that the copying of the document is unauthorized and it may also provides a warning notice to a third person about user's unauthorized copying. Once the color image forming apparatus generates a warning notice to the third person, the warning mode of the apparatus can only be cancelled through a special procedure. Also, a background image processing unit has been introduced. This apparatus is designed to prevent reproduction of copy-prohibited image data without sacrificing versatile page editing features.
Another conventional image printing system has been developed and widely used in the issuance and verification of securities such as stock certificates. In issuance, for example, this system performs the printing on a surface of securities based on information associated with a printing with black toner and transparent fluorescent color toner item by item to be printed on the surface of securities. In this system, the information about black toner and transparent fluorescent color toner is memorized. Thus, an inexpensive printing system has been achieved for printing a high-level security document such as securities. In addition, a securities managing system has been proposed, which prints an issuance number of the securities onto a surface of the securities in an illegible manner and acquires an image of the surface to use to verify identification of securities withdrawn at a later time.
Moreover, unlike special manuscripts such as a bill or securities, confidential documents handled in offices, for example, have various kinds of marks indicating a copying prohibition. Another conventional image forming apparatus can handle these documents and change access levels for copying, transferring, and storing according to confidentiality levels defined by the mark.